Top 5 Fridays :: Characters on Community

I decided earlier this evening as I sat on my couch and had a good laugh at the TV show “Community” on NBC that I would use all my might and means as a TV blogger to champion this show. Now I know that I am not the only genius on the internet to take a stand and say how awesome this show is. In fact I think the only people that actually watch this show are either TV bloggers or members of Reddit. It has the unfortunate task of being put up against CBS’s comedy juggernaut and moderately funny “The Big Bang Theory” which while it is a decent show, is not putting out comedy that is at the level of “Community”. So with this Top 5 list I am going to introduce you to my 5 favorite characters from the show and I will leave it up to you to tune in and experience the rest. It airs on Thursdays at 8pm on NBC. Please check it out and do us all a favor and pick up season one on DVD.

5. Dean Pelton (Jim Rash) – While he is not a regular cast member, and by that I mean he is not a member of the study group which is what makes up the principle cast, Dean Pelton has some of the funniest one liners and quick in and out moments of the show. Playing the Dean of Greendale community college, Jim Rash gets to exemplify the futility of the struggles of a local small time community college. It is a place that no one really wants to be, they are just using it as a stepping stone to getting their lives back on track. The Dean takes his job very seriously and wants to make Greendale feel like something more then it is, all the while staying politically correct and harbouring a crush on hunky male lead Jeff Winger. His constant awkward entrances are one of the small things that Community does that sets it apart from the generic shit that constantly gets huge ratings on Monday nights at 9pm.

4. Senor Chang (Ken Jeong) – If you were to take a spanish class, you would probably walk into it and have an expectation that your teacher would be Spanish or Mexican. You would not expect Ken Jeong to be standing at the front of the class in all his crazy glory. This is probably one of the most inspired pieces of casting in the show and you can tell that the producers wanted to work with Jeong. I don’t know who else could pull of Senor Chang’s “quite to rage” mentality quite like him. One minute he is normal and joking around, the next he is pretending to eat your face off. Jeong is a loose canon on this show and you know that when ever he is on screen he will say or do something so absurd that you will lose your shit and repeat it to your friends the next day. Ken Jeong gets a lot of work in some really funny movies, but its really nice to see him here on a regular basis cause the dude is way too funny to not be entertaining us on a weekly basis.

3. Annie Edison (Alison Brie) – It was tough to decide who I liked better, Alsion Brie or Gillian Jacobs (Britta Perry). The second video that I have posted under this write up will explain my decision making. I really like the character of Annie Edison because she is the sounding board for the rest of the group. Yes she has her share of problems but she is also there to question the rest of the group and keep them in check. And over the last season and this she has slowly grown into her own and is able to battle wits with the likes of Jeff and Britta. Oh yeah, and Alison Brie is utterly adorable in the role and is the perfect “innocent girl” character.

2. Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) – As the de facto leader of this rag tag bunch of misfit toys, Joel McHale is often tasked with the leading roles in all the groups activities. He must make all the decisions and approve or disapprove of the rest of the gangs ideas. This could make the role of Jeff Winger into more of a father figure then classmate, and while at times it does, Winger also gets a lot of the best jokes and lines in the show. He is after all a former lawyer and self styled man of great taste. He has spent a lot of time in the real world while the rest of his study mates are just getting going. McHale brings the perfect amount of douchiness and compassion to this role and I am so glad he made the leap from The Soup to this, because the man had great comic timing.

1. Troy Barnes (Donald Glover) – I have this show to thank for introducing me to the absolute sheer genius that is Donald Glover. You may recognize him from the internet and “Derrick Comedy” and their subsequent hilarious movie “Mystery Team” but what I learned from doing some research is that  Mr. Glover is not only a fantastic comedic actor but that he is also a fantastic rapper under the name Childish Gambino. His self released album Culdesac is nothing short of bliss. The man has some serious skills on the mic and is a true player in the rap game. And his music is not “comedy hip hop” it is for real, which only makes me love his comedic work more. Troy Barnes is the oddest character to describe on the show. He is part jock, part nerd, part lothario and part child. He will have 7 to 8 great lines or reactions in an episode and they will all be perfect in either their subtlety or genius.